Knicks Keep Making Believers

Tonight, the Knicks improved to 13-4 with a thrilling win in Charlotte over the Bobcats, 100-98 because of J.R. Smith winner at the buzzer. 13-4 is the best record in the East (only Memphis is better at 13-3); a half-game better than the Heat, who the Knicks play tomorrow in Miami. The interesting thing about this win is that Carmelo Anthony missed the last 2:10 after diving for a ball going out of bounds, something he shouldn't have done because the shot-clock ran out. They somehow survived a game which they went 13-for-41 from three by avoiding any turnovers in the fourth and some great play by Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler and the returning Jason Kidd.

Thus far, the Knicks are doing so many good things to begin this season; they haven't lost at home yet, and they play very well (most nights) in the fourth quarter. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain this level of play, especially when Amare Stoudemire returns. My biggest concern with the eventual Stoudemire return is the frontcourt gets clogged like a toilet once again and the offense suffers. Until that time, I will enjoy the great play, since the Knicks haven't started a season like this since Patrick Ewing was still here.

D'Antoni Resigns

Since the return of Carmelo Anthony, the NY Knicks have been 2-6 and it seems like this team that was thriving during the early days of Linsanity had Melo-ed out. This also coincided with the Knicks schedule becoming a little tougher and seeing Lin have some issues that most rookies would have. Unfortunately, instead of patience ruling the days, head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned.

Once again, the Knicks decide to panic over showing prudence. If D'Antoni stays for the season, perhaps they can regain the chemistry that was there during Anthony's injury. Perhaps Anthony, knowing that all of NYC has begun to turn on him, would become a team player in these proceedings. Instead, the Knicks front office have a "sky is falling" mantra and now they have probably made things worse for Melo here as the label "coach-killer" will be used to describe him. Unless of course, the Knicks plan to trade Melo in the next 24 hours.

So this is the end of the Mike D'Antoni Era; one which he should have never taken part in when the choice of jobs was Chicago when they were about to draft Derrick Rose (yes, he chose his team before the Draft Lottery, but he could have waited until then) and New York. He had two years which he seemingly could do nothing wrong since Donnie Walsh was more concerned with creating cap space for 2010. However, it seemed like D'Antoni wasn't getting the same treatment as he was continually criticized for the lack of defense the team had and that no matter which good players came into town after 2010, they wouldn't win if D'Antoni was coach.

The Mike D'Antoni Era ends without seeing the full potential of the system that had the Phoenix Suns at the cusp of a championship for three years. Always remember that the Suns never won because of Joe Johnson's injury in 2005, their cheap owner letting Johnson and Quentin Richardson go, while selling first round picks year after year, and Robert Horry checking Steve Nash into the scorers table when they were about to take control of their series with the Spurs in 2007. The Knicks only saw the positives with D'Antoni twice; the first half of 2009-10 before Jim Dolan decided to ruin it all to get Carmelo too soon and the first nine games of Linsanity, where Jeremy Lin looked the part of Steve Nash and the unselfishness was contagious.

Mike Woodson takes over as coach and unless something incredible happens, he won't be coach for a long time. Instead of building their way to a winner, what we now see of the Knicks is a team once again finding the fork in the road. And do Knicks fans really want Jim Dolan and Glen Grunwald, who we learned turned down this trade as GM of the Raptors, to decide that future. I know I don't.

As for D'Antoni, I know he'll be back in the NBA and he will do well in a less pressurized environment. His system can work in this league with the right point guard and as long as there some quality defensive players on the roster (like Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert showed here), an NBA title isn't a ridiculous thought. Best of luck Mike.

Lundbelivable Linsanity Is SHU Cray

Valentine's Day 2012. No, it wasn't the first time the Knicks, Rangers and Seton Hall Pirates won on the same day, but it was the first time that you can say that it was reasonable to be hopeful for good things to come from all three at the same time (at least since I decided to commit to Seton Hall as the school of my choice, which is when I officially became of Pirates fan).

Consider that Seton Hall had lost six in a row, yet they still hadn't officially knocked themselves out of the NCAA Tournament list. A fact like that in it of itself is surprising as a six game losing streak is more or less typical for a Seton Hall team that always seems to have the deck stacked against them. One tourney appearance in the last seven years and they were the first team eliminated that year against Wichita State (perhaps I was lucky I had a test that day and couldn't just skip class to watch it). That lose in fact started the Gonzo Era, which if you're a SHU alum, student or fan, you wish you can forget existed. It was a time when our school became a laughingstock, punctuated by the time Bobby Gonzalez was arrested for shoplifting a manpurse.

However, out of the rubble from those teams is Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope, both men seniors, both have had terrific years that allowed the Pirates to dominate non-conference play, against a pretty tough schedule. Going 11-1 with wins over St. Joes, VCU on neutral sites and Dayton on the road gave the Hall some breathing room. That breathing room expanded when they beat West Virginia and UConn, starting Big East play 4-1. Then, a missed FT by Theodore in the closing seconds against South Florida started that six-game tailspin. However, when they needed a win against Rutgers, Theodore wouldn't allow them to lose. He did everything possible to win that game, one that would allow him to finish with a perfect 4-0 record at the RAC. Add a comeback win against Pitt and a completely dominant performance over St. John's and now the Pirates are right in the hunt for tourney bid.

While Seton Hall was running St. John's off the gym, I was more concerned with the NY Rangers, who were battling the defending Cup champion Bruins in a game that may have told us who the best team in the East is. Instead of allowing the Bruins to maintain momentum early, the Rangers struck first with a power play goal by Ryan Callahan, then Ryan McDonagh scored on a shot from the boards that tipped in off Zdeno Chara. When the Bruins came out flying in the second period, the Rangers defense gave them so little room to make great chances, and when they did, Henrik Lundqvist was there for the challenge.

The post-lockout Rangers always had a chance to win because of Hank. That's the kind of goalie he is. However, we are witnessing the greatest season for a goaltender in Rangers history. Hank will win the Vezina when it's all said and done and the Hart trophy is also a possibility. His improved play (from regular excellence to unreal greatness) is why the Rangers are tops in the East and why it will be hard to knock them off that perch come playoff time.

When the Rangers had taken control over the Bruins, it was time to flip the Knicks on. They were in Toronto and I knew they were losing for most of the night. Yet, somehow, they came back again and now Jeremy Lin had the ball with seconds left. Instead of finding an open man, he took the shot, swished it and stole a game from the Raptors. It made the fact I had tickets to yesterday's game against the Kings even more anticipated.

Knicks fans for 9 years had nothing to cheer about. No luck in the draft, no competence in the front office in regards to Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas and a horrible roster of players. Until Lin showed up, we were about to rule out the Melo-Stat Era as more of the same. Now? The promise of this team is now wide open. One might think this is just a few games, but what NBA just dominates out of nowhere after a few games? If a player is drafted in the first round, he has pedigree and a level of expectation that won't allow him to sneak up on anyone. While a second round pick generally doesn't have same expectation, it gets nullified if he went to a major college and we remember him (like Gilbert Arenas at Arizona and Carlos Boozer at Duke). Jeremy Lin went to Harvard, was undrafted and bounced around a couple teams and was the 12th man on their bench before he started against the Nets. It's mind-blowing how he can be this good this quick and just fell through the cracks.

I really look forward to Carmelo Anthony returning. Either he will thrive with Lin or he won't, but Lin is here to stay and Melo better understand that. If he doesn't, we'll see what the team looks like as a result. If he does, then the Knicks are about to become interesting.

So here we are, three teams, three examples of the inspiration of hope. The hope of breaking through into the world of relevant for Seton Hall; the hope of becoming contenders for the Knicks and the hope of becoming champions for the Rangers. One things for sure, and with the afterglow of the Giants Super Bowl still there; New York (and New Jersey) can continue to be optimistic. Isn't it a funny feeling?

Thanks For Nothing Dolan

I went to last night's Rangers game against the Penguins. It seems like every time I show up for a Rangers game, they lose. Pittsburgh showed up for 60 minutes and the Rangers didn't and with the way the Penguins play north-south, that's not a good ingredient for winning.

The reason I'm writing about last night's game though is it was the first one since Rangers and Knicks owner James Dolan decided to actually take part in a Rangers press conference and essentially proclaim that the Rangers are Stanley Cup contenders. It was a quote that John Tortorella threw some water on when he said "I have my owner up here talking about a Stanley Cup. That's a bunch of bull----" once Dolan left the room.

Nice try, Torts. Dolan has given your team some interest and when he gets involved, bad things happen. He involved himself in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and now the Knicks seem stuck in neutral (Frank Isola had it right when he tweeted this). My favorite example of this was back in 2007 when the Knicks weren't embarrassing New Yorkers every night and had a team that was winning games in exciting fashion (watch this, this and this for examples of this). So what happens; Dolan proclaims that Isiah Thomas had a successful year and signs him to an undisclosed contract extension. At the time of the extension, the Knicks were 29-34 and in 8th in the East. Afterwards, the Knicks only won 4 more games.

So last night's results, unfortunately was foretold in my eyes once Jim Dolan opened his big mouth, especially after watching how sure of himself he was in that presser. Hopefully (at least for me as a Rangers fan), this won't be a trend that continues, but history isn't on their side.

NBA Trade Frenzy

For the first time since 2008, the NBA became frenzied with trades with the two biggest ones being Carmelo Anthony heading to the Knicks and the Nets, shockingly, trading for Deron Williams today. Both teams traded a lot to get their guys, though the Knicks are still a playoff team, while the Nets would be hard pressed to make it. But this year won't matter, the future is what will matter for both. 2012 in particular can tell you who wins between the two teams.

In terms of better player, the Nets have him, no question about it. Williams is a floor leader, who can defend. Anthony is a scorer, who takes off on defense and hasn't shown the ability to make his teammates better. The question must be begged, if Deron Williams was on the block (after that episode leading to Jerry Sloan's resignation), why weren't the Knicks on him? If Walsh was a sleep at the wheel, then he should leave when it's all said and done, since he should know better (especially with Mike D'Antoni coaching) that the PG is more important. If not, then it's pretty typical of Dolan to not have his eye on the prize. I'd take Williams over Anthony in a heartbeat.

However, the Nets still aren't guaranteed nothing with Williams. He would need to sign an extension in order for this trade to be a success, and add another star to join him. If that happens, the Nets are in better shape than the Knicks assuming Dwight Howard joins Williams, even if Chris Paul goes to the Knicks. And if I'm Paul, why would I go to the Eastern Conference when the East now has Williams with Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo and John Wall. He would have an old Steve Nash and Tony Parker as his lone PG competition.

To sum up, the Knicks got the guy everyone assumed they would get. The Nets got the better guy no one thought they'd get.

Randomness That Doesn't Involve The Decision

The biggest sporting event of 2010 will take place today, when Spain and Netherlands will faceoff in the World Cup Final. The Dutch have quietly been the best team in the tournament, while the Spanish have hung around and reached the final. David Villa is the man I've found as the MVP of this tourney and the reason Spain is playing today. Prediction: Netherlands win 2-1 with Robin Van Persie scoring the winning goal.

The scariest story I've ever read, the Daily News reporting that Isiah Thomas could come back to the Knicks. If this was to happen, Isiah officially becomes the Freddy Kruger of sports. He killed the Knicks before, the lost draft pick this year was the sequel and a return would be in my mind, Nightmare on 33rd St III. News like this make me want to drink a Molotov cocktail.

Even worse, what does this mean for Rangers. Does Glen Sather ever leave? Did I just answer my own question?

The Ilya Kovalchuk saga continues in hiatus as almost no news has occurred since the Kings pulled out a second time. We're still waiting to see if he goes to the Devils, Kings, Russia or if there's another team out there (Rangers?) willing to make the move for the great scorer who doesn't play defense. Actually, he sounds like a fit for the Knicks. The Devils, according to Larry Brooks, have offered him 17 years/$100 million. That would be ridiculous and would in a way combine the bad contracts of Alexei Yashin and Rick DiPietro that the Islanders signed them to.

Two weeks until Mad Men is back on.

It's time to change the Home Run Derby. No longer do the top HR hitters participate and waters down the event. Everyone is scared of having a second half like Josh Hamilton had in 2008 which he didn't snap out of until this season. Robinson Cano was supposed to take part, but the Yankees told him not to do it and was replaced with Nick Swisher (so it's okay for Swish to do this?). He's the idea, make it either 6 or 8 contestants and the top two or three get to swing in the final and we go back to 5 outs in the final round. I don't know why they changed the final round to the full 10 outs, 5 was better and more dramatic. It's not that serious where a better HR hitter is really screwed out of victory.

Finally, it's a very sad day as longtime Yankees PA and NY Giants PA Bob Sheppard died at age 99. Let's find a place for him in heaven alongside John Facenda, Marty Glickman and Foster Hewitt, the voices of the NFL, NBA and NHL. Watch this tribute for the great man, the Voice of Yankee Stadium.

Randomness While Channeling My Inner Barry Switzer

And apparently, this guy above also did the same thing. Bill Belichick did everything to lose that game Sunday night in that final Patriots drive. New England enters this drive with two timeouts and blows one before the first play for no reason. After setting up 3rd and 2, Belichick calls a pass play, instead of a run to set up the two minute warning, and that pass is nearly run back for a pick six. As the Pats offense leaves the field, Belichick arrogance comes into play and calls for another pass play on 4th and 2 at their OWN 28. The confusion of that play made the Pats burn their last timeout. That timeout was important as the Pats missed converting on the 4th down play on a close play that either you could use the timeout to challenge or save for the Colts possession and give Tom Brady more than 10 seconds to drive down the field.


Monday, I heard half the sports world rightly kill Belichick for his handling of the 4th down play and the other half defend him because "he's unconventional" and obviously anything he does is always the right call. The fact is, Belichick should have punted, and everyone expected it, which is why the Pats threw on third down (which you can't do) and threw basically the same route on fourth down. You can't take a chance that Peyton Manning gets 30 yards to win a game, but make him go 60-70 yards against you're defense that has made him uncomfortable all night, including a couple of interceptions (one in the fourth quarter).


Random note: I know about the video of Belichick's bodyguard knocking over a cameraman as they left the field. The thing that cracks me up is after Belichick shakes Jim Caldwell's hand, Jim Sorgi randomly approaches Bill just as the cameraman was taken down. Random note two: Since I didn't post this after this article, I must give Ed Werder credit for the "channel his inner Switzer" line. We both thought it, he put it on record first, plus he actually spoke with Barry Switzer about it, so he deservedly gets credit.


Good luck for the NY Jets, who have to face the Patriots who after their last loss beat the Titans 59-0. Add that the Pats lost the way they did, that the Jets beat them in September and how Belichick just plain hate the team, I wouldn't be surprised if 59-0 is the halftime score.


Jets have their own problems after another tough loss to the Jaguars Sunday. The key play was Maurice Jones-Drew stopping at the one yard line, a la Brian Westbrook, in order to run the clock down for a winning field goal. Gregg Easterbrook in his comprehensive TMQ column made an interesting point on the play, not by calling MJD dumb for trying to run the clock, but stating that Jack Del Rio would be to blame if the Jags somehow missed the FG because all they did was take knees to set the kick up (also you see him defend Belichick's fourth down decision, which I'm sure he was fight 100 bolts of lightning in doing so).


This is about the Jets, who have self-destructed before our very eyes, at least to those who live in New York. They lost Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington, Kerry Rhodes is the anti-Ed Reed, Mark Sanchez is playing like a rookie and Rex Ryan is coaching without a clue. This is a team that has talked like they won the last ten Super Bowls, where the coach has no clue about clock management and how to use his timeouts, where a rookie QB reads a prepared statement and thinks he can get away with pissing off the New York media. Now they're 4-5, certain to be 4-6 and headed to a 6-10, 7-9 season. The Rex Ryan Era Everybody!!!


Where last Sunday was an awful day for the Jets, it was golden for the Giants. Why? They didn't play. Also, the Cowboys, Eagles and Falcons lost, with all three and the Broncos each losing key players to injury. In a related story, the Giants play all three teams in the next four weeks. If Chris Simms is the starter on Thanksgiving, no chance do the Giants lose, hell the Lions or the Rams have as good a chance of winning. Thus, the Giants could avoid Brian Westbrook (concussion), Kyle Orton (ankle) and Michael Turner (ankle), plus the Cowboys had multiple injuries.


The Bengals are for real and no one can ignore them anymore. They swept both AFC Championship teams from a year ago, plus they have Oakland, Kansas City, Cleveland and Detroit which will get them into the playoffs. The defense is very good who have absorbed the loss of Antwan Odom without losing the ferocity of their pass rush and they have the best pair of corners for any team (with Green Bay the one possible exception) in Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall.


I remember back in the mid-90s that Bud Adams was one of the worst owners in sports with how he handled coaches and obviously how the Oilers left Houston for Tennessee. Then, he has seemed like a good guy during the Jeff Fisher era, but giving him the Cowher treatment and not firing him. After last Sunday, I'm glad that Adams can be hated once again after his two bird salute to a Bills section, not to mention Commissioner Roger Goodell.


I think everyone's aware that the Yankees have won more games that the Nets, Knicks, Giants AND Jets combined in November. But does anyone know that the Seton Hall Pirates hold that same claim and they started playing games last Friday. Just sayin'. (This is no longer true because the Knicks remarkably won in Indiana, holding Danny Granger to three second half points. So now it's a tie.)


As for the Pirates, I believe they will make the tournament, despite Keon Lawrence getting suspended for DUI. Herb Pope will make the difference and finally give the team the size they've been lacking. I rarely pick college in November because a) too many new players so I have no clue how they mesh and b) I know teams that are thought of as good fall on their faces way too often.


After blowing the draft pick this year and selecting Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings and a still questionable Danilo Gallinari pick last year, should Knicks fans be concerned that Donnie Walsh is the GM? Also, does this make it a good thing the Knicks don't have a draft pick in 2010, thus Walsh can't screw up another one?

Huge weekend boxing where Manny Pacquiao puts himself in the elite class of fighters after his dominant win over Miguel Cotto. There were some shades of the Ali "Rope-A-Dope" in the early rounds which Cotto was forcing the action, before one switch at the ropes and Pac Man was brutal the rest of the fight, forcing Cotto's wife and son fleeing the arena (just like Mick Foley's wife and kids). Now, the entire world is salivating over a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, hopefully to be seen on the unofficial fight weekend of the year, Kentucky Derby day (doubling as the weekend of my 24th birthday).


Pacquiao supporters can claim that he dominated Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton better than Floyd and that Miguel Cotto was the best fighter either guy faced. While Mayweather supporters can claim the win of Juan Manuel Marquez is better than Pacquiao's struggles with the guy, the fact is, Marquez was a better fighter at a lower weight. One thing that's true about Pacquiao, he hasn't lost his speed as he moves up weight class and winning titles in seven divisions is as good a feat as ever done in boxing, while Mayweather must continue to stay unbeaten because that's his claim to fame, aside from a lot of bravado and boring defensive fights (he's clearly the San Antonio Spurs of boxing for the simple fact that I think he can throw when he wants to which he did against Hatton, just as the Spurs could score with the Suns when necessary). Pacquiao's place in boxing history will be looked on kind regardless of a win/loss against Floyd, but Mayweather can establish himself in a greater light. That's why Floyd needs this fight, though not more than the sport of boxing itself.


Finally, the World Cup qualifying ended Wednesday as the last six teams made the 32-team field which will be played in South Africa next year. Kudos must go to our upset winners in Greece (who I always root for, except against the U.S., in deference to some of my cousins) and Slovenia, who knocked off Ukraine (leading to this scene being rehashed) and Russia respectively (think of Russia's luck, they probably were among the top 5 teams in qualifying, but they had to be grouped with Germany and couldn't beat them. They win if grouped with France or Italy). Algeria won a special playoff over Egypt, Uruguay won their playoff with Costa Rica while Christiano Ronaldo can breathe easy because his Portugal squad made the field without him.


The final one was between Ireland and France. The French won the first leg 1-0 in Ireland and the Irish scored first in the second game leading to extra time. For anyone who doesn't know, because both teams scored one goal and on the road, they needed the extra time; if France would score, it would force Ireland to score or the French move on. In the 103rd minute, the play that happened will instantly be compared to Diego Maradona, the Montreal Screwjob, the Bennett Salvatore Game, Jeffery Maier, and No Goal among the list of worst officiating moments in sports history. Thierry Henry clearly touches the ball with a handball, which gets uncalled and the France win on the ensuing goal. Personally, I'm done talking about it, the Irish were robbed and France will undeservedly go to South Africa, it's that simple.


Here's my pick for tonight's NFL Network game. Home team in CAPS
CAROLINA (-3) over Miami- Without Ronnie Brown, the Wildcat isn't as effective and the Dolphins will lose tonight. Please don't make me curse picking you Jake Delhomme.

Randomness While Thinking of New Ways for the Mets to Lose

It's really becoming Groundhog Day for this franchise. This time, it was Eric Bruntlett pulling off the first game-winning unassisted triple play since Johnny Neun did it on May 31, 1927. Following that loss, and yesterday's as well, it appears that Johan Santana is the latest Met to get hurt and need surgery in the offseason. Santana now joins Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, David Wright and John Maine as the key players who have been hurt for most of this season. It seems like anytime the Mets have had a particularly painful loss, it gets followed by the loss of a key player. Bruntlett's triple play joins Sean Green's walking in the winning run in Philly on May 2, the loss to the Dodgers where the Mets made baserunning mistakes, dropped flyballs and a game-losing throwing error, the Luis Castillo drop against the Yankees and the Cardinal game where Green hit the winning run, followed by Albert Pujols with a mammoth grand slam.


Let's also discuss the Billy Wagner trade to the Red Sox. First off, great job Mets for giving away two high draft picks to restore your farm system and only get two PTBN. Now, Bill Madden on Daily News Live set the scene for Boston; Jonathan Papelbon doesn't want to close, he doesn't want to stay in Boston and he hasn't pitched well from the closer spot (Fang's Bites routinely tweets about him as heart attack Papelbon). Wagner gives the Red Sox a chance to bridge the gap before Daniel Bard becomes the closer and if Bard's ready in 2010 or Wagner pitches horrible, definitely possible, Wagner will net them the two draft picks if they offer arbitration.


Now that we're coming up on the end of the baseball season, the awards races are starting to heat up. The only award the seems to be his to lose is Pujols as NL MVP. Maybe Ryan Howard, Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki could be considered, but Pujols is still the best player in the league and since the Cards will make the playoffs, he's a shoo-in. AL MVP is tougher because Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter will split votes from one another and I believe that if the Twins stay in the AL Central race into the last two weeks of the season, Joe Mauer will win the award. His hitting this year at catcher is to great to ignore for a contending player. Keep an eye for Miguel Cabrera and Michael Young, however, since they are having terrific years for competitive clubs. The NL Cy Young looks like it will be between Tim Lincecum and Chris Carpenter, while the AL Cy Young is completely wide open between the likes of Zack Greinke, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett and Mariano Rivera.


Looks like the Mark Sanchez bandwagon took a hit after yesterday's game against the Ravens. How do I know? Because my father is the bandwagon; anytime he changes his mind on anything, it must be how bandwagon fans operate. I, on the other hand, never make too much of preseason. The thing everyone should remember is that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco is the exception of how rookie QB play, not the norm. Peyton Manning struggled through his first season, so did Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw and Steve Young. So Jets fans (and I'm not one of them), keep your expectations low and you'll be satisfied regardless what he does.


The good people at Sorts of Sports have started to rank their top fantasy players with the QB's and will continue to do so for this week and next. I will not and suggest you read them, but I do have a few players that you should look to for fantasy. The two players I'm very big on this year are Matt Forte and Steve Slaton, Donald Brown is my sleeper runner, Aaron Rodgers is someone you should look at if you lose out on Drew Brees and Tom Brady. I think Michael Turner should be avoided if possible, and any QB after the Peyton, Rodgers, Warner group is really the same. I'm sure you noticed I haven't touched on WR's. My feeling is look for any teams number 1's. Vincent Jackson should do well because he's Phil Rivers top guy, same for Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery and whomever wins the battle of the Giants top receiver. And I agree with Matthew Berry, defense/special teams are as interchangeable as kickers, you pick up the one who don't allow that much points and the rest comes together.


Great Twitter post by the legendary Bill Simmons about ironic Sports Illustrated covers from the steroid era. Couple of comments; it's a shame (unless proven to be a PED user) that Griffey is associated with Sosa and McGwire and the 1998 Sportsmen of the Year cover is the greatest in terms of comedy's sake.


Good job by Entourage to realize that their show hasn't been good this year and decided to bring in Bob Saget uncensored. Here's the video of it. And if you only think of Saget as Danny Tanner on Full House, think the opposite for his standup act.


DirecTV and Versus have to get a deal done so us hockey fans who have DirecTV aren't shut out of the playoffs. We can survive the regular season without Versus, but the playoffs, including two Stanley Cup Final games need to be on. Not to mention that they have a college football schedule that includes teams like Texas, USC and Florida St.


On the plus side of sports on TV, great job by ESPN for showing the English Premier League on Saturday mornings. I've never had a channel that showed the matches live and it was easy for me to ignore it, but now I'm going to try to be as into the EPL as I ever was. I'm very surprised by the slow start by Liverpool and maybe now that Bill Simmons has officially joined the Tottenham Hotspur bandwagon can they succeed in the league.


Finally, let's talk about the Knicks. Now, the stated goal when Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni came in was to be ready for the 2010 free agency. That's been the impetus to every move since they came in last year. They succeed in getting rid of Jamal Crawford's and Zach Randolph's contracts and haven't signed anyone past 2010 since then. However, with the shrinking salary cap next season, no first round pick and the inability to move Eddy Curry and Jared Jefferies (which was Walsh's biggest mistake since he could have traded him and Nate Robinson for Kenny Thomas' expiring contract) will keep this team no closer to contend this season. The target is LeBron James and if LeBron only cares about non-basketball reasons for his next contract, the Knicks would fit. If he makes a basketball decision, he should stay in Cleveland or even head to the Clippers if he thinks of both on- and off-the-court reasons.


Thus, I believe the Knicks should shoot to compete by 2011. The fact is, the Knicks don't have the team that will be enticing to a franchise player, which they need if they want to win. Which is why they should hold off their plans for another year of adding talent to surround a star. The economy could be in better shape after another year and with Curry and Jefferies contracts off the books, they will have more cap room. They also could use their advantage in money to trade for a franchise guy from a team that needs money, like Chris Paul. Besides, when the NBA has a lockout in a couple years, they're going to need a New York team to do well to recreate buzz after the players return.

Omar Being Isiah and the Mets Being the Knicks

I'm sure everyone is well aware of Omar Minaya's bizarre press conference yesterday where he calls out NY Daily News Mets beat writer Adam Rubin as someone who wanted to be a Met executive during Tony Bernazard's firing announcement. When pressed by Rubin, Omar played the "I'm not saying, I'm just saying" card, which Rubin rightfully accused Minaya of questioning his motives for reporting on Bernazard's tirades with the Mets minor league players and Francisco Rodriguez. The fact is, Rubin was correct in calling out Bernazard's behavior because it was embarrassing, and he was correct in that aspect as well. The underlying theme of this story has become how Minaya has started to turn the Mets into the Isiah-era Knicks.

Now, before I continue, let's state the fact that the Mets have at the very least played competitive baseball, which the Knicks didn't do. However, the NBA doesn't let you just pick up any player from free agency, while baseball does. Thus, the Mets are capable of picking up guys like Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana, giving the impression of a good team. However, this season has shown us the failures of the Minaya-era as an organization and that you can't just keep throwing money to solve a problem, especially if you won't go full bore into throwing money. That was the story of the 1980s Yankees and it led to George Steinbrenner being banned by Commissioner Fay Vincent in order to win a pissing match with Dave Winfield (which he lost).

Back in 2004, the Mets were a mess. The 2000 NL pennant seemed like it was ancient and an the failures of the Art Howe era were taking shape. Then, the infamous Scott Kazmir-Victor Zambrano trade occured and almost immediately, was deemed a failure that would rank with Nolan Ryan, Amos Otis and Tom Seaver. It was then when the Wilpon's hired Omar Minaya to rebuild the Mets. It was immediate change as he went after Carlos Beltran, the most sought after hitter in free agency and Pedro Martinez and signed them. The Mets bounced back to 83-79 in 2005, then continued improvement with Beltran, David Wright and Jose Reyes to a division title in 2006. Little did anyone know that this would be the peak for the Mets under Minaya.

After breezing past the Dodgers in the Division Series, they faced a less-than stellar Cards team in the NLCS. Two games I will remember in that series as Game 2 was a crushing loss when Billy Wagner gave up a homer to So Taguchi and then were shutout in Game 3 by Jeff Suppan. Eventually, this series went seven and despite one of the greatest catches by Endy Chavez, Yadier Molina of all people hit a 9th-inning homer to win it. The following season, the Mets looked like they were going to make up for the playoff loss, but then started the first of an annual tradition of collapses in September. After last season, it was pivotal for Minaya to shake this team up that continued to fall apart. Instead, he left them completely bare in the farm system and now they can't make any trades.

To be fair, the injuries the Mets have had are devastating. Any team who loses three of their best four players and have to depend on Gary Sheffield at age 40 for their power is in trouble. Also, their farm system was depleted from the Johan Santana trade. Unfortunately, they haven't done a good job with the farm before and after the trade and have also got rid of plenty of players that would be huge for this team today. Heath Bell should still be in a Mets uniform, instead of being traded for a bag of balls. Then, he would be the closer and the money used on K-Rod could be used on another hitter. Xavier Nady shouldn't have been traded, he was a quality bat with a gritty edge; the type of player who is plentiful with the Phillies. Also, the Nady led to the enigma that is Ollie. Speaking of him, the Mets should of never resigned Oliver Perez this offseason; they should of paid the extra price for Derek Lowe, a proven commodity.

Omar Minaya got the job mainly because of his work with the Expos before they moved to Washington. Even though the team was on the cusp of contraction, the trade that I always remember was the Bartolo Colon trade which the Expos gave up Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips. Thus, I believe his reputation was inflated to begin with. He did what he set out to do, he made the Mets relevant, even had them a game from the World Series. However, the way the franchise turned, with the September chokes, the way in which they fired Willie Randolph, the Bernazard mess, players complaining about team doctors and now the war of words between Rubin and Minaya.

Back in 2003, the Knicks were in the same scenario when they fired Scott Layden because his years, the Knicks a bland boring team full of undersized forwards and an albatross of a contract for Allan Houston. Then they hired Isiah and he turned them from boring to embarrassment. That's what it seems like the Mets have done. Now it's time to let Omar go or take a chance that more bad can happen with the team. Perhaps the words "truck party" will be uttered again.

Randomness: Free Agency Edition

Since tomorrow is the start of free agency in both the NHL and NBA, I figured to use my Randomness article to get everyone up to speed in both leagues the start of some hot stove action. Let's start with Glen Sather best trade ever, Scott Gomez and a couple prospects to Montreal for Chris Higgins and a couple of better prospects, including the Habs best prospect, defenseman Ryan McDonagh. For Rangers fans, we're speechless, since we didn't think Slats was able to fleece a team like he did here. Higgins is a hardworker from Long Island who fits well in the 3rd line. McDonagh brings more organizational depth to the defensive side of the ice and can either grow or get flipped in a trade for Dany Heatley.


As for Gomez, he becomes another in the long line of Devils who bombed out with the Rangers, though in the case of Gomez, it was more Sather overpaying like he did with Bobby Holik. He now goes from one of the biggest pressure cookers in the league to the biggest in Montreal and already Habs fans are crucifying Bob Gainey. As an added plus, anytime Leafs bloggers and fans enjoy a Canadiens move the way Ranger fans used to when Mad Mike was running the Islanders into the ground, you have to make the move.


As for the rest of the Rangers preview, now they have $5 million in cap room ($7 million if they don't tender Higgins) to pick up that scoring winger they desperately need. Dany Heatley has been tied to the Rangers for weeks but now Edmonton wants him and the Sens seem willing to take Dustin Penner's awful contract (more fodder for Leafs fans, only Redden-for-Heatley would be better). Signings can start tomorrow and look for Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik to be sought after, though I really don't want either. Hossa isn't a number one scorer and should be paid like one, while Gaborik is too risky unless it's a one-year deal. Of course, Sather is prepared to give the fans who put up with rising ticket prices a big eff you as Blair Betts, Fred Sjostrom and Colton Orr.

UPDATE: The Oilers offered Andrew Cogliano, Penner and Ladislav Smid to Ottawa, but Heatley, after asking for a trade, didn't waive his no-trade clause. How ironic.


As for the rest of the NHL, Jay Bouwmeester signed with Calgary for five years with a cap hit of about $6.68 million. It makes the trade of a guaranteed draft pick to Florida for the right to negotiate early a good one for the Flames. The Gomez trade knocks the Habs out of the Sedin twins sweepstakes and now it's the Canucks, Wild, Leafs and maybe now the Rangers will be after him. The Wild could be players this year with a new regime in Minnesota and I know Brian Burke wants to be active in Toronto. Marian Hossa is as good as gone in Detroit and LA looks like a fit for a veteran scorer.


The Knicks seem interested in Jason Kidd, which would be a colossal mistake because he's not fast anymore for D'Antoni's system and would get eaten alive by guys like Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo. If you follow my Twitter updates from a few days ago, you would know I want the Knicks to trade for Ricky Rubio, even though the pieces that the Knicks could trade aren't really there. As for their two big restricted free agents, David Lee and Nate Robinson, let Nate go and don't go higher than $8.5 million for Lee. Hopefully, if Lee gets a great offer, let's hope that they can do a sign and trade.


Elsewhere, Ben Gordon I think is the best free agent out there in a weak class that has too many old names. He should go either back to Chicago or to Detroit. Hedo Turkolgu opted out of his deal with the Magic and with the trade for Vince Carter, the Magic won't overpay for Hedo. Portland can be a possible destination. Cleveland needs someone in their mid-level exception who can contribute with perimeter defense and a good shooter. Carlos Boozer made a smart move by not opting out and remaining with Utah until next season. It would be ironic if Boozer left Utah for New York and LeBron follows. Then, Cleveland fans can envision what should of happened for them this decade in New York with those two back together since the debacle with Boozer and the Cavs leading to his move to the Jazz.

NBA Draft Preview

It's NBA Draft time and unfortunately, this is one of the weakest drafts since 2000. It's makes me doubt who will be good and who will be flat out busts. Despite that, the Draft is still one of my favorite dates of the year because I find trade buzz and who goes where exciting, plus you get Dan Wetzel's live blog during the Draft and Bill Simmons Draft Diary to read the day after. I will be tweeting my Draft thoughts throughout the first round, but here is my preview for the lottery teams. Basically, I will spell out what these teams should do and what they will do.

1. L.A. Clippers- They are pretty easy to figure because they will draft Blake Griffin after announcing it during the Lottery. However, the Clippers really aren't in good position to be the number one pick or number two to take Ricky Rubio. The Clippers are chock full of big men and are stuck with them, plus Baron Davis.

What they should do. They should try to trade the pick to Oklahoma City so they can bring in the local hero. Try to see if they can extract Durant, if so, pay any price; if not, ask for the 3rd pick and either have them take on a Randolph/Kaman/Davis contract (ideally Randolph, likely Kaman) or get either Jeff Green or Russell Westbrook. Also, fire Mike Dunleavy.

What they will do. Draft Griffin, continue to inflict Dunleavy on the 20 Clippers fans in the world.

2. Memphis- Probably the most pathetic franchise in the league, even more so than the Clippers where no one wants to be. Ricky Rubio has said he wants no part of Memphis and it seems like there is no commitment to winning from ownership.

What they should do. Either draft Rubio and force him to decide to stay or play here, or trade down. Minnesota now have the 5th pick, along with their other first rounders to offer, Sacramento would offer the 4th, the Knicks would take on Darko's contract and give up the 8th. Minnesota looks like the best deal and the Grizzlies should try to get both the 5th and 6th or 5th and 18th.

What they will do. Either draft Thabeet because they need a big man, or trade down.

3. Oklahoma City- The fastest growing team in the league is in a good position to pick up perhaps the final piece that puts them in the playoffs. Durant, Westbrook and Green leads a solid core and can use either a shooting guard or a bigman.

What they should do. The best player for them to take is Rubio if Memphis doesn't select him. James Harden would be a good consolation prize, but now that Minnesota has four 1st rounders, I would put a call into them because the Wolves want to move up and the Thunder can get Harden or Stephen Curry at five I believe and get another 1st rounder.

What they will do. The Thunder play it safe and take Harden and not worry whether or not Rubio wants to play there.

4. Sacramento- The Kings have a lot of places to fill in, but the Draft talk seems to say they want a point guard. Rubio seemed to be guaranteed to fall no further than the Kings until lately when the buzz has them thinking about Evans and Jonny Flynn in addition, or even replacing Rubio.

What they should do. Draft Rubio, no question about it. You can't let this guy who will be great in the NBA, based on his performance against the Redeem Team in the Olympics, among other things. I also don't think the Kings should trade, but if they are against taking Rubio, the Knicks, Bucks and Suns could use Rubio.

What they will do. I can't see the Kings pass on Rubio when it's all said and done.

5 and 6. Minnesota- The Timberwolves have already made the biggest move thus far and picked up the Wizards pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. They also appear to be selling the 28th pick to the Knicks. They are in need of a true point guard and a shooter to pick up the slack from the trade.

What they should do. They should trade up and grab Rubio instead of hoping that he drops to five. They have 3 first rounders left and there's no reason they can't trade with Memphis or Oklahoma. Thabeet and Harden both could be left at number 5 if either makes the trade. If there isn't a trade to be made, then hold and take Stephen Curry. Tyreke Evans or James Harden would be a nice fit at number 6 if they stay at this spot.

What they will do. They will find a way to make a deal. David Kahn seems to be willing to trade to prove that he should be the GM and they will get up to either 2 or 3 and nab Rubio.

7. Golden St.- The Warriors seems to be, along with the Clippers, not looking to trade among the top 8, at least in terms of draft position. They traded Jamal Crawford to Atlanta today, which is always good because you can't win with Crawford. Seems like the obvious need is a point guard to replace Baron Davis, but if Monta Ellis plays the point, then the Warriors could look for the best available.

What they should do. I don't think they should trade up because they don't have many trade chips; instead look at Terrance Williams as a versatile player for Don Nelson to use. Either pick him at 7 or trade down and coax another pick out of someone who wants Curry, Evans, etc.

What they will do. If Curry's available, they will take him. If not, Evans and Jordan Hill are on their radar.

8. New York- The rebuilding process continues for the Knicks and they are in need of everything. Stephen Curry was initially thought to be a lock at number eight, until he started to move up the board. Now, there isn't a consensus for who they should take as Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holliday, Gerald Henderson and Jonny Flynn have been mentioned as possible picks.

What should they do. I've always been in the camp of trading up for Rubio or trading down for more picks, especially if it can net them a first rounder for next year to replace the one that Isiah traded in the Marbury trade. If a trade isn't in order, then they should pick Henderson, an NBA-ready guard unless one of the top 7 (Griffin, Rubio, Harden, Thabeet, Curry, Evans, Hill) drops to them. In that case, grab one of them.

What they will do. They will grab one of those seven if they drop; if no one does, then I think they will take Holliday, though it wouldn't help right away.

9. Toronto- With Shawn Marion and Anthony Parker as free agents, the Raptors could use a swingman to take their place. They also have to decide how to proceed with Chris Bosh's last year under contract. Do they have any chance to keep him? Should they trade him now and get something for him before free agency?

What they should do. Unless a top-7 guy drops, they should pick DeMar DeRozan as a replacement for Marion. It just makes sense.

What they will do. Pick DeRozan, unless a top-7 guy drops.

10. Milwaukee- The Bucks are looking at point guard and after trading Richard Jefferson for expiring deals, they are looking to finally fully rebuild, so they can go with potential here.

What they should do. Here's the perfect place to take Jrue Holliday and let him grow into Scott Skiles system. If he's gone, Brandon Jennings would also suffice.

What they will do. It seems like Jennings is going to be the pick, but it's either him or Holliday.

11. New Jersey- The Nets are looking for either another body up front or another shooting guard for the day that Vince Carter is traded. Gerald Henderson and Tyler Hansbrough have been looked, as well as Terrance Williams.

What they should do. Draft Williams for his versatility, plus watch the comedy unsue with him, Brook Lopez and Chairman Yi. He could replace Robin as Brook's equal on this team off-the-court.

What they will do. Draft Williams, though don't be surprised if they reach for Dejuan Blair.

12. Charlotte- The Bobcats were finally close to the playoffs last season and look to build on that for next season. One thing the Bobcats need is another scorer, someone to could have most of the touches in the end of games.

What they should do. They should grab Gerald Henderson in a rare time when drafting the local kid is the smart move.

What they will do. I would like to think they draft Henderson, but I have a feeling Jordan's going to fool around and take James Johnson or even Ty Lawson because of North Carolina roots.

13. Indiana- The Pacers have been looking at a point guard so they can trade T.J. Ford away. However, they also need a big man and Blair and Hansbrough are in the mix with Jennings, Lawson, Eric Maynor and Jeff Teague.

What they should do. I think Eric Maynor will be great and he would be the perfect floor general for this team. Him, with Granger and Dunleavy easily puts the Pacers in the playoffs in the East and is a nice core for future success.

What they will do. They will go safe and pick Lawson, though it would be my second choice for them, so it won't be all bad.

14. Phoenix- This team has been most intriguing because of all the trade rumors that have surrounded them. Off the heels of the Shaq trade to Cleveland, now the Suns must decide if Amare Stoudamire is next in order to get another pick in the lottery.

What they should do. Trade Amare, get another first rounder either this year or next year. As for this draft pick, Earl Clark seems to be the best fit for their team; another versatile player, especially if Stoudamire stays put.

What they will do. Draft Clark, and they don't trade Amare.

ATTENTION YANKEES: YOU'RE TURNING INTO THE KNICKS AND RANGERS

Remember ten years ago, the Yankees were going through their latest dynasty, with a group of likable guys who would die on the field if they need to. They were managed by the perfect man who could shield the pressure from the media and their owner. Built by a couple of GM's who, instead of just getting the biggest free agents available, used the farm system and made the right trade or signing that fit with the team.


A lot has changed since then, particularly after 2001, and the Yankees have still been unable to replace the best players of the era. A decade of signing flashy names and veteran pitchers have been unsuccessful in leading the Yankees to a title since 2000 and back to a World Series since 2003. However, all these failures are familiar to the failures that the 80s Yankees had. This year, however, the front office has now gone out of its way to screw the fans over and that is a trait that Jim Dolan has been doing for many years at MSG.


If you look at both the Knicks and the Rangers, both teams have had success in the 1990s as the Rangers won the Stanley Cup and the Knicks made two NBA Finals. Both erred in how they got rid of their best players as the Rangers let Mark Messier walk too soon while he still could have a few good years left (also compounding it by re-signing him when it was clear that his skills diminished) while the Knicks decided to trade away Patrick Ewing and take on big salaries from lesser players, when the more prudent plan would of been to have him play out his final year under contract.


The Rangers spent the next seven years after Messier left signing busts like Valeri Kamensky and Stephane Quintal, trading for a finished Pavel Bure and an overrated Anson Carter, trading away all-star Marc Savard for a draft pick which they used to draft a flat bust Pavel Brendl. From Neil Smith to Glen Sather, the Rangers have failed in personnel moves except three: drafting Henrik Lundqvist in the seventh round in 2000, trading for Jaromir Jagr and getting him for half-price and trading for Sean Avery in 2007 which catapulted the team to the playoffs and almost to the East Finals that season. Now with a salary cap, the Rangers have overextended themselves on mediocre talent (aside from Lundqvist) and are trapped in cap hell.


Cap hell is a place the Knicks are very familiar with, but that has stopped them from making moves. For them, it really starts with the 1999 NBA Draft when they picked Fredric Weis over Ron Artest, a man who's only claim to fame is getting dunked on by Vince Carter in the Olympics. They acquired an over-the-hill Glen Rice in the Ewing trade, which they in turn traded for Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson. Under Scott Layden, the Knicks routinely brought in undersized forwards and guards who could drive the ball (plus they gave Allan Houston a max contract). It seemed like a godsend when they fired Layden, but when Isiah Thomas took the job, he made things worse, as hard to believe as it was. He would acquire plenty of questionable players to put it mild and each guy proved why he had a question on him to begin with, whether it's Eddy Curry's laziness or Stephon Marbury's selfishness.


The worst part about the Isiah era goes beyond their record, as the franchise became an embarrassment off the court. The sexual harassment lawsuit involving Anucha Browne Sanders and the truck party with intern Kathleen Decker made the team a punchline. The Rangers had their run of embarrassment this playoffs when John Tortorella attacked a fan with a water bottle and a stick, then the open letter Glen Sather wrote to the league. The Rangers also got into a lawsuit with the NHL for rights over the team website.


So what does this have to do with the Yankees? Because through all this, Jim Dolan continues to keep prices for both teams among the highest in each league and basically continue to steal our money without caring at all about the team. Granted, he did replace Isiah and maybe the Knicks part in this will change, but Glen Sather is almost locked in for life and the Rangers won't be any better than a second-round team under him. Meanwhile, all of a sudden, the Yankees have opened a new stadium and have priced out their fans. Even though Rangers game report sellouts and the Knicks at least report 19,000 a night, it looks like it's less on any ordinary night. The Yankees report 43,000 every game that is clearly not the case when you watch on TV.


Add to that the fact that guys like Randy Levine and Lonn Trost basically rub in it the fans faces by claiming the reason no ones allowed by the dugout during batting practice because they liken the suites to a house and Trost is quoted as saying "If you purchase a suite, do you want someone in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want someone in your home?" Of course, he mentions the Legends Suites, not the rest of the field level seating that the same rule applies. Now the Yankees are selling off the rest of the old Stadium to more ridiculously high prices for seats, grass, etc. Another problem the Yankees had was the game against the Red Sox when their security guys and "May I Help You" people told fans that the game was going to be rained out, then when it wasn't, refused re-entry.


There are some differences between the Yankees and the MSG teams such as the fact that there won't be any Glen Sathers staying in power too long. Brian Cashman is under the gun this year, though continues to live off the last years of the Yankee dynasty. His failings as a GM lie mostly with his putrid job of building a farm system. This is one area that is the single biggest reason that Theo Epstein and the Red Sox are better than the Yankees. There are a whole list of trades and free agent signings that the Yankees have missed this decade. Some of the blame does go to George Steinbrenner, but Cashman has held control of the decisions since the end of the 2005 season and the team has periodically been worse since. We don't know how much Hal Steinbrenner will stand, but I can't see Cashman stick around if the Yanks continue to decline.


So basically, the Yankees are a flawed team despite its $200 million+ payroll. They are old at too many positions, are weak defensively, have no bench and depend to heavily on free agent pitchers because they haven't developed many pitchers on the big league level since the mid-1990s. They still have a long way to go to lower themselves to their fellow NY teams. They could start missing playoffs yearly, have lawsuits that disgrace the team (with A-Rod, there's always that chance), or have either the Steinbrenner sons not care or sell to someone else who won't. That's why, Yankees this is your wake up call. Don't turn into the Knicks or Rangers. Either break up this team and start over, or stop trying to win a fantasy league and start trying to win World Series. Being a tweener in this sport is infuriating, and your fans will see through it, at least the real ones who will show up to the park even if they can't afford it.

Ode to Royalty

Many times through the years I have walked into the hallowed ground that is Madison Square Garden. I've been there maybe five times for Knicks games, mostly because my parents aren't basketball fans and they have always been particularly expensive. Since for nearly all of the decade the team has stayed in the bottom, there hasn't been much incentive for me to go back, though I should be back next season.

As for the Rangers, I've been to many games I can't even begin to count how many times I've been there. The first time I went was in October of 1993 when they played the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. That season, my parents bought season tickets (I don't know if they had them in years past) but we ended up sitting in the 200s and the Rangers lost. A month later, I was in our rightful seats in the Blue Seats (for readers not familiar, the 400s) against Vancouver and the Rangers won 6-3. From that time on, I was a blue-seater for life and whenever I have gone to Rangers games, all but once (the night they retired Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell's sweaters and ultimately Tom Renney's last game) I sit where the real Ranger fans sit. Because my parents had the season tickets, they ended up going to all the pivotal games at MSG that the Rangers played in the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoff, which I'm still bitter about not going to any games.

I went to my first playoff game in 1997 when the Rangers played the Devils in the 2nd round. My mother and I went and we actually sat in different sides of the same section upstairs. It was a 3-0 win as Mike Richter continued to steal the series from the Devils which also included this at the end. The year later, the Rangers started their seven year playoff drought all while my family had mini-plans for much of the time. We had them the first year after the lockout thus we had playoff tickets once again, but the series was a sweep at the hands of the hated Devils and I didn't get to go to a game. Last season, I ended up going to Game 3 of the Devils series, but I went alone because I could only get one ticket that was affordable. That ended with a loss on a fluke OT goal of Marc Staal's skate. Fortunately, they won the series however, lost to the Penguins in the second round. By this point, we had stopped getting mini-plans and I was cut back to maybe 2 or 3 games a season that I would go to.

This season, the Rangers have given all us Rangers fans plenty of attitude swings. At the beginning, we were shocked that they started 10-2-1 because we didn't expect them to play so well after losing Jaromir Jagr and Sean Avery, among others. Slowly but surely, we would become more and more upset watching this team take the ice. They couldn't score, they didn't play with consistent effort night in and night out, they had no semblence of a power play to the point that we just wanted to avoid short-handed goals and we wondered if there was anyway to decline a penalty. We still looked good, until the start of the 2nd half. The Rangers started by losing 12 of its first 14 games after the All-Star break. As I wrote earlier, I was there when they lost in OT to Toronto in a maddening game which the Rangers couldn't do anything on offense, yet somehow force OT to string us along. It was pretty clear that night that the team needed to make a change. Tom Renney is a good coach, as is one of the main reasons the Rangers became good again, along with Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist. The day after, Renney was fired and the Rangers hired John Tortorella to take over.

He was inheriting a mess. Glen Sather once again showed everyone how much the game has passed him by. He let go of Jagr, Marty Straka, Sean Avery, Brenden Shanahan and signed Wade Redden, a former good offensive defenseman who either lost his talent or stopped caring after the lockout, to a six-year deal; resigned Michael Rozsival, who has been propped up by Jagr; signed Markus Naslund, a forward who's showed his age, to a two-year deal; and traded for Nik Zherdev, a gifted scored who doesn't care about playing. We signed Scott Gomez and Chris Drury the year earlier and they haven't proven worth the money and Henrik Lundqvist wasn't having a typical Lundqvist season, to the point that my father would always say they won't win with him.

However, Tortorella would prove to be important as he has made this team play closer to its potential. Before, the team seemed to always have a lull and there wouldn't be any response as they would continue to play bad. Now, the lull's aren't as abundant, though this team is still able to have a no-show any given night. The acquistions of Nik Antropov, Derek Morris and the return of Sean Avery have mostly helped the Rangers, along with the great play from Ryan Callahan, Staal and Dan Girardi, to make the playoffs as a 7th seed in a series with the Caps.

The inspiration for this article was Lundqvist. He didn't have his typical season, only having a 2.44 goals against average and a .916 save pct. Terrible stats, I know. I've been defending him all year as he has to deal with a poorous defensive, a impotent offense and the need to be perfect every night for the team to be able to win. The last week of the season, the Rangers needed two wins to make the playoffs and Lundqvist was phenomenal. After beating Montreal, he was absolutely brillant against the Flyers, the save of the game occuring in the 3rd period as Hank robbed Daniel Carcillo from the tying goal. He would carry his great play into the series with the Caps, facing the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Semin. For two games, he was a thorn in the Caps side and the Rangers took a 2-0 lead. They came home for Game 3, the Garden excited and noisy and the Rangers fall flat on their face losing 4-0, despite another impressive performance by the King who kept them that close. But Game 4 would be different.

I found tickets and was sitting in section 426 in the last row. The good part about those seats is you can stand all you want. The bad part is that you can see the clock when you do. Now watching a Rangers playoff game at the Garden is a completely different experience as the 18,200 announced attendance is the actual attendance for these games, no empty red seats which you could see against Nashville. It's always good whenever John Amirante is singing the national anthem and it gets the Garden crowd even louder.

This would turn out to be the best hockey game I witness in person, or at the very least, the most exciting. The Rangers came out banging, hitting everyone in sight and taking the action toward the rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov. Soon, a fluke goal from a Paul Mara shot off John Erskine's stick made it 1-0. It was good to see Drury, who's playing with either a broken wrist or hand, come out hitting and taking advantage of a goalie who hasn't learned to play the puck by scoring the second goal. Then, King Henrik took over, as the Caps had all the offense pressure for the rest of the game. Hank made save after save, bringing the crowd to its feet many times, yell HEN-RIK over and over. Early in the 3rd, Ovechkin scored on an absolute rocket to make it 2-1, which I must sidebar and say that Ovechkin is truly an unbelievable talent, always skating, never taking off a shift, willing to take a hit to make a play and will give one as well. He hit the post that had to of bent the iron. Later on, Avery made two dump penalties to force Hank to face more pressure. As the seconds ticked down, the Garden crowd stood for the final minute, one apprieciating the effort Lundqvist and the Rangers gave and hoping there wasn't a late goal to tie it. It would never come as Hank stopped all on net and we held on.

Leaving the Garden, it was gratifying to finally watch the Rangers win, since it has been awhile. But after a game like this, you can't help but think about it, talk with people while walking down the stairs, honking horns, waving towels and just keeping a look on your face that has happiness, exhaustion and relief rolled into one. That's what the Stanley Cup playoffs bring if your team is there. That's why I get puzzled and irritated when people don't respect hockey, at least for the playoffs.

Back to the Rangers, they are leading 3-1 against a team that if we have a lesser goalie, we are swept. Henrik Lundqvist is the reason the Rangers are leading this series, and have a chance to win Friday night in Washington. He's taking the best shots from the young guns of the caps and is still standing and is one win from being the survivor and a date with the Bruins. So this is my chance to say to Hank, when I read people criticizing him, including my dad, thanks for being the goalie I know you are, a great one. And rightfully earning the nickname King.

The Knicks might get LeBron James in 2010. If so, King James would only be the second King, number one belongs to Hank.

Randomness while growing my playoff beard

- April is the best sports month of the year because it seems like every sport has a major event going on. Baseball begins, the NBA and NHL start playoffs, the Final Four takes place in the month, the NFL Draft is this month and this is the month when golf matters as the Masters takes place

- I love the Masters because there is a drama that you don't see in any other golf tournament. If you look at the other majors, the US Open is always too tough that it's about making pars, the British Open is too effected by weather and the PGA Championship is the clear No. 4. The Masters is the best major because of the setting at Augusta and the fact that the players have more control of how they play than most events. You can score low at Augusta or play awful, whereas most US and British Opens you can be +3 and still be alive on Sunday. You try to survive those Opens; you can't survive Augusta, you win the green jacket.

-Now that its said, last Sunday's final round was the best day of golf I've watched in my life. It was 5 and half hours of drama that left you feeling satisfied. Tiger and Phil were playing who can top whom and for once in his career, Phil outplayed Tiger. We have waited all these years to see if Phil can play with Tiger and do well when it counts, and he did. The second shot from the 7th rough that Mickelson stuck close to the pin was one of the best ever. The galleries at Augusta entirely followed Tiger and Phil while the leaders had almost no one around. Unfortunately, we were robbed out of perhaps the best final round in Masters history when both men ran out of gas and Phil made some dumb decisions, such as going with the 9 iron at 12 and hitting the water and overthinking his 5 foot eagle after Tiger missed his. As for Tiger, he didn't putt Tiger-like as putts he always makes he missed on Sunday.

- It almost was ruined until Kenny Perry bogeyed his last 2 holes setting up a three-man playoff with Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell. I was surprised Cabrera made it as it seemed he had nothing going up until the 13th hole. Meanwhile, Perry seemed to wrap it up on 16 when he birdied, but he came back and we had the playoff. It almost seemed like all three men put themselves in big trouble and nearly all made a great shot to save par. Cabrera hit a tree from the brush and ended up on the fairway, then hit it within 6 feet. Perry chipped it 2 inches from the cup to save par, while Campbell got out of the sand to about 4 feet, but missed his putt and was out. Then on 10, Perry's second shot was back and left and Cabrera hit the green and won. Great drama and saved the tournament as the best in the 00s.

- Unfortunately, The Cycle was not able to gain access to either CitiField or the new Yankee Stadium for the openers. But to my faithful readers, who I hope are still faithful after my week off, I will try to get to both ballparks and give my review.

- It seems like this season of 24 has found a way to go from solved threats to new villians more often than I can remember. Of course, it's been two years since the show has been on. All I know is it's good to have Elisha Cuthbert back in my life without the phrase "sloppy seconds" attached.

- NFL schedules were released today and apparently this is big news seeing as ESPN must devote 3 hours on it. I understand the NFL network trying to make this a big deal, they have to fill programming, but I refused to watch ESPN's coverage out of principle.

- Of course, I had to take a look at the schedule. The Giants have a 3 game road trip after opening with Washington at home which isn't tough aside from the first game at Jerry Jones new palace. After that, the schedule gets easier as they get Dallas and Philly at home late and end with Carolina and at Minnesota just like last year. The Jets have the easiest schedule in the AFC East as they get to avoid Buffalo and play the Bills in Toronto and they close out Giants Stadium playing the Bengals. By the way, shame on you NFL for having the Jets close out Giants Stadium, this is named for the Giants and it's their stadium. They better have the Giants open the new stadium next year. Week 11 looks good as the Giants host Matty Ice and the Falcons, Dallas hosts Washington and the Jets go to New England.

- It's great that the Padres, Mariners and Orioles have had good starts; let's not get carried away. It's not football.

- Sad week in baseball, RIP Nick Adenhart, Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych

- As we close another NBA season, I just want one thing: for once, I want the Knicks in the bottom 3. Please, just once let me get to the commercial of the NBA Draft Lottery with the Knicks not off the board.

Before the puck drops in Washington and Pittsburgh, I will have my Stanley Cup preview.

UPDATED 11:23 AM: I forgot to make mention of Oscar De La Hoya's retirement and as a boxing fan, I know that Oscar was overrated based only on the amount of attention he got. He was the face of his sport since Mike Tyson tattooed that face. From 1992-1999, he was in the conversation as best pound-for-pound fighter in the world along with Roy Jones Jr. Then he fought Tito Trinidad, led for much of the fight and decided to keep away for the last few rounds, which cost him the fight. He never was the same as the next year he lost the first of two to Sugar Shane Mosley. He still had good fights, particularly his win over Fernando Vargas, but by the end, he was fighting off his name when he stepped in against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. So where is his place in history? He will be remembered as the most memorable and polarizing figure in boxing for his era, in an A-Rod sort of way. Very good fighter, but never beat the best of his weight during his or their primes.